GRANITE QUARRY — Derek Kurnitsky promised two things when he took the coaching reins of the East Rowan boys — excitement and wins. The excitement’s already here. The wins remain just around the corner.
East (2-12, 0-3) lost another gut-wrenching 3A North Piedmont Conference contest on Tuesday night — 68-67 to visiting A.L. Brown. But no one got bored. Nineteen 3-pointers singed the nets and there was a two-ejection scuffle. And the refs had to be escorted to the parking lot after a call with one second left helped the second-place Wonders (10-2, 2-1) make a great escape.
“We’re still a hard-luck team,” said Kurnitsky, after his team’s 10th straight loss. “But you saw the beginning of our East program tonight. This was the start. The kids played awesome.”
“It’s a win, a lucky, fortunate win for us,” said Wonder coach Shelwyn Klutz. “Give credit to East. They played extremely hard, shot the ball well.”
Klutz had warned his guys to take the Mustangs seriously, but they paid little attention and came out flat. Thirteen first-half points from Matt Belk had East ahead 31-26 at the break.
The third quarter featured a sensational shooting display by the Wonders’ gritty guard Brandon Thomas (26 points). Thomas, 5-foot-10. scored 14 points in the quarter. He hit four of his six 3s in one flurry, forcing Kurnitsky to trade in his zone for man-to-man. Thomas dragged his sputtering team from a 44-36 deficit early in the second half to a 65-58 lead with 3:14 left in the game.
But East wasn’t done. With Mustang students and fans chanting, waving towels and generally going nuts, East stormed back behind guard Caleb Miller. Miller’s reputation is as a defensive whiz, but he shot like his high-scoring brother Justin, a big-time shooter who poured in points for East last season. Caleb, whose previous career best was 13 points, drilled five energizing 3s in the fourth quarter on his way to 22.
“I hit the first one, and then I knew I was rollin,’ ” said Miller.
“A couple of times we didn’t fight through picks, but Miller made tough shots,” said Klutz. “He was making them from the deep corner with a hand in his face.”
A pair of Miller 3s — just 35 seconds apart — and a driving three-point play by freshman Eric Taylor pushed East ahead 67-65 with 1:44 left. But Wonder center Josh Barrier knocked down a 12-footer with 44 seconds left to tie. Then Miller finally missed a shot with 28 seconds to go and Wonder Ricky Ardrey rebounded.
Kurnitsky employed some serious strategy, as the Wonders tried to work for a winning shot. East had only three second-half team fouls and was able to purposely foul three straight times without sending the Wonders to the line. After team foul No. 6, the game clock showed just five seconds.
The Wonders got the ball to Avery Patterson at the top of the circle. The soph fumbled it momentarily, then rose for a 3-pointer. Belk, who had played superb defense down the stretch, challenged the shot and appeared to bump Patterson with his chest. The whistle blew with a second left, handing a pleased Patterson three chances to win the game. He did so with his second attempt, which bounced skyward off the rim, then plummeted through the net.
Klutz felt the late call was proper. Kurnitsky’s only comment was that his “kids didn’t deserve to lose like that.”
“We’re all upset that we played that good and still ended up with a loss,” said Miller. “I hated that call. You’d like to make them earn it.”
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NOTES:East’s Adam Shepherd and A.L. Brown’s Shannon Blackmon were ejected with 5:56 left in the third quarter when a scrap for a loose ball led to shoves. ... Thomas wasn’t surprised at how hot the game got. “Everyone gives us their best shot,” he shrugged. “Everyone wants to beat Kannapolis.”
A.L. BROWN (68) — Thomas 26, Allison 13, Patterson 10, Robinson 6, Barrier 4, Miller 4, Blackmon 2, Graham 2, Ardrey 1, Abercrombie, Collins, Reeves.
EAST ROWAN (67) — Miller 22, Belk 18, Taylor 13, Talbert 7, Abel 4, Whitley 2,Shipp 1, Shepherd.
A.L. Brown 18 8 26 16 — 68
East Rowan 17 14 16 20 — 67
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